Grade 8 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 5, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A More Perfect Union

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 5, Lesson 2: Jefferson and the Republicans (pp. 146-151)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Change Under Jefferson's leadership, Republican ideas changed the government, while still retaining some Federalist policies.

Use a Venn diagram to illustrate for students how Jefferson's administration both changed and did not change previous Federalist policies. Talk with students about how this moderate approach helped to set up a tradition of peaceful transition of power.

Review the importance of the Louisiana Purchase and the Supreme Court decision of Marbury v. Madison. Discuss with students the ways in which these two important events shaped the United States.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Ask students to write letters as though they are were members of Jefferson's administration, writing to family members outside of Washington, describing the changes happening under President Jefferson.
Give students a handout showing the outline of the United States today, with the names of the states that existed in 1800 written in. (You can use the map on page 150 as a sample.) Ask students how many states they believe the Louisiana Territory made possible. Have them write the names of those states in their proper place on the map outline, then check their answers with the map on p. 688.

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